In its most recent report, “Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds,” the NIC gave a nod to the transformative power of shale gas, calling it a “tectonic shift” likely to provide huge energy security benefits to the United States:

One positive ‘shift’ sees energy independence for the U.S. in as short a period as 10 to 20 years due to abundant quantities of shale gas.

Rising domestic production from unconventional sources of natural gas and oil is raising U.S. supplies by so much, and so quickly, that it could shift the balance of power in global energy markets.

As a result, the Organization of Petroleum Export Countries (OPEC) could lose much of its power to set global oil and gasoline prices, according to the report.

Increased production of natural gas from shale could also “significantly cut oil prices, increase U.S. economic activity by more than 2 percent and add 3 million jobs by 2030,” the report said.

The reverberations from this seismic shift in energy are also being felt and debated across the pond.

In a recent BBC interview , Royal Dutch Shell CEO Peter Voser predicted that the shale gas “revolution” will deliver enormous benefits to the U.S. economy and manufacturers:

The United States has up to almost 100 years of gas available against current consumption so there is huge growth there . . . and it will bring manufacturing [and] petrochemicals back to the United States. So they can actually drive the economy based on this gas and the advantages in its feedstock price because of that gas.